Jewish history in China dates all the way back to about the 8th century, when Asian traders utilized the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean.

A Jewish settlement was first established in the city of Kaifeng, and in the year 1163 a synagogue was built. By the 20th century, the community in Kaifeng was joined by the cities of Harbin, Ningbo and Tianjin, which all had sizable Jewish communities.

However, none of these Jewish settlements rivaled Shanghai, where throughout history three distinct periods of Jewish immigration took place. The first began in the 1800s with the arrival of Jewish businessmen from West Asia.

In 1932 the Shanghai Stock Exchange listed almost 100 members, nearly 40% of whom were Sephardic Jews. They funded many of Shanghai’s beautiful examples of colonial architecture, and joined the city’s finest clubs and organizations. At the time, this was a privilege that was denied to Jews in many areas of the world, even in liberal parts of Europe and America.

This small Jewish circle in Shanghai was affected in the early 1900s by a second wave of immigration that brought Russian Jews fleeing the pogroms. “Pogrom” in Russian literally means “to demolish violently.” The worst of the Russian pogroms against Jews took place from 1903 to 1906. Many Russian Jews were able to escape this violence by settling in northern China.

By 1910 Harbin had 1,500 Jews, and this number grew to 13,000 by 1929. In the 1930s, many of these residents then moved to Shanghai.

Shanghai was known as a place of great diversity and opportunity as it was home to tens of thousands of foreigners who were all part of a very ethnically and religiously diverse community, enjoying their preferences in lifestyle, music, theater, entertainment, and business.

Shanghai became home to seven synagogues and a Jewish school. There were Jewish scout troops, football leagues, music clubs, cemeteries, and chess clubs, among other successful organizations.

The third and most significant phase of Jewish migration to Shanghai began during the Nazi regime. An estimated 20,000 poured into Shanghai between 1937 and 1939. Why Shanghai?

Not only did it have an established Jewish community, but it was one of the very few free transports. This meant that immigrants did not need visas, health certificates, or proof of financial independence. This made Shanghai a very rare haven indeed.

Thousands of Jews arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs as war consumed Europe. By 1939 housing was becoming sparse. Sometimes, refugees shared homes, and one room accommodated several families. Yet, despite the lack of accommodations, it was still a safe haven from the Jewish ghettos in Europe.

Today in the world there are only approximately 350,000 survivors of the Holocaust. We have the rare pportunity to hear their courageous and moving stories of survival. By clicking on the following website, you can hear the story of Betty Grebenschikoff, who survived by escaping to Shanghai with her family: http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/movies/GREBENSC/INDEX.htm

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